Five soldiers were killed in the crash of a US plane that crashed in the Mediterranean during an exercise, the US Army’s European Command (Eucom) announced on Sunday.
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Eucom did not specify the model of the plane involved or its origin, but the United States recently deployed an aircraft carrier to the region to deter any attempt to degenerate the war between Israel and Hamas into a regional conflict.
“During a routine aerial refueling mission as part of military training, a US military aircraft carrying five service members had an accident and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea.
All five soldiers on board the plane were killed,” Eucom said in a statement.
The US military reported this accident as occurring “on the afternoon of November 10” in the eastern Mediterranean without initially providing information on the fate of those on board.
“Jill and I are praying for the families and friends who have lost a loved one, a part of their soul,” US President Joe Biden responded in a statement. “Our whole nation shares his pain.”
After the October 7 attack by Hamas, Washington offered military support to Israel and reinforced its forces in the region, including with the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and other warships.
